1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems, and more particularly, to portable computer systems that may be coupled to a docking station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable computers enjoy widespread popularity. Advances in computer technology, such as faster processors with low power consumption, have led to portable computer systems that are comparable to desktop computers in performance. Because of these improvements, portable computers are an ideal solution for a user that needs a large amount of computing power as well as a mobile platform.
Despite the performance increases, portable computers still are at a disadvantage relative to other computers. In particular, due to their small size, portable computers typically are not able to offer as much functionality as stationary computers, as a limited number of interfaces are present. One solution to this problem is a docking station. A docking station may allow for increased functionality when the portable computer is coupled to it. Through a docking station, a portable computer may be able to utilize the functionality of such devices as a full-screen monitor, additional printers, scanners, and so forth.
Although docking stations are a convenient solution to providing additional functionality for a portable computer, coupling the portable computer to a docking station poses its own set of problems. In some portable computers, it is necessary to either remove power or suspend power prior to coupling to the docking station. In other computers, operations must be suspended even if power is not removed. Thus, a user of a portable computer may not always be able to conduct a true “hot-docking” with a docking port.